Men And American Idol

What American Idol Says About Men

About 20 million people tune in to American Idol every week, so how is it that I’m the only guy I know who watches it? I have a hunch that the AskMen demographic probably doesn’t overlap much with Idol’s, but bear with me. There’s relevance here, I promise.

For the uninitiated, American Idol is a show where contestants sing cover songs, are judged by judges who don’t actually judge them, and are ultimately eliminated based on phone-in votes from viewers. Fox televises the whole ordeal from auditions to the finale (because, you know, ad revenue), but the competition doesn’t really get started until they narrow it down to the top 12. And it’s fantastic.

Few shows match Idol’s ability to maintain constant levels of stimulation, be it the satisfying feeling of watching someone absolutely butcher a song or getting goose bumps when a contestant really nails it. I take a lot of flak from my friends for watching it, but I don’t see any reason why men can’t enjoy it. The music is live, the singers are typically talented and the songs are familiar. Occasionally, the contestant lineup will feature some real lookers. Still, for whatever reason I don’t feel like a lot of men watch it. That’s a shame, because to whatever degree men don’t like American Idol, American Idol sure seems to like guys.

Idol Idolizes Men

Five of the past six winners are men. In fact, the ladies only have four wins total, and three of them came in a four-year stretch that included future superstars Carrie Underwood and Kelly Clarkson. There’s only been one all-female finale, but three all-male showdowns. For some reason, Idol’s active viewers show a preference for men, and mediocre men at that. The question, of course, is why? Why is America turning American Idol into a bigger sausage fest than an all-inclusive Caribbean resort during spring break?

The short, cynical answer is that Idol’s audience is composed in large part of teenage girls, and they’re always going to choose cute guys over talented women. It’s a valid point and the sales figures seem to bear that out. It’s similar to how consumers tell fast food restaurants that they want healthier options but never actually order them. Girls will pick up their phones for a cute guy with a guitar, but when he’s no longer singing longingly into the camera they gravitate toward other, (subjectively) more talented artists. But I think it has to do with a lot more than sex appeal. I think it’s an issue of relatability.

As a culture, we seem to have a pretty clear picture of an “average Joe,” but not so much for an “average Jane.” In fact, I’ve never even heard the term before. But there’s just something about the scruffy, haggard-looking guy who sings like he gargles with Camel Lights that makes him so infinitely relatable. Everyone, guys and girls alike, knows that guy. Hell, some of us might even be that guy. Guys will vote for him. Some girls will vote for him because they think he’s cute. Other girls will vote for him because they think he’s genuine, or they like his vocal style. In short, everyone will vote for that guy because something about him appeals to everyone.